Solder terminal and connection lug



Sept. 20, R SWENSON SOLDER TERMINAL AND CONNECTION LUG Filed Aug. 25, 1950 United States Patent Thure R. Swenson, Evanston, 11]., assignor to Raymond T. Moloney, Chicago, Ill.

Application August 23, 1950, Serial No. 180,941 8 Claims. (Cl. 339276) This invention has as its principal object the provision of a combination solder terminal and connection lug characterized chiefly in that it is a simple, one-piece, single-operation die stamping formed by an inexpensive die with aterminal lug having an embossed part and a complementary cut-away part cooperable'to seize a conductor to lock the same in good electrical and mechanical association with said lug.

Additional objects and advantages of the improved structure pertain to manufacturing and assembly economies resulting from the conductor-seizing features, and to details of the construction and operation of the device hereinafter set forth in view of the annexed drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is an enlarged plan of the punching before upsetting; 1

Fig. 2 shows the punching of Fig. 1 upset;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but crimped to seize a conductor;

Fig. 4 is an endwise elevation looking in the direction of lines 44 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a section taken at lines 55 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a modified terminal-lug of the double-ended variety;

Fig. 7 is an elevational fragment of a switch panel showing the terminal lugs in use;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the panel of Fig. 7.

The die punching for the terminal lug is shown in Fig. l, in its condition before the final forming or upsetting operation is performed, and it will be observed that this punching includes an elongated piece of thin metal having a narrow terminal piece or tail 10 projecting axially (of the length of the punching) from a wider mounting face or plate portion 11 having a rivet hole 12 punched therethrough. Joined to said plate portion 12 by a narrow piece of the stock, as at 13, is the lug portion generally indicated at 14.

The lug portion is also elongated and has on one sidewing 15 a locking slot or cut-out 17 dimensioned to be somewhat larger than a complementary projection or boss 18 stamped into the companion wing portion 16.

When the stampings come from the die, the two side wings are upset to form a channel, as indicated at 19 in Fig. 2.

In use, the terminal lugs are prepared by inserting the stripped ends 20 of a conductor in the channel of the lug, as in Fig. 3, whereupon an operator actuates a small press to squeeze the two side wings 15 and 16 together upon the conductor 20 therebetween, and in this operation a portion 19A of the conductor is forced by the boss 18 into the slot or cut-out 17 whereby the conductor is caught and locked in the channel.

The prepared lugs are then usually mounted upon some type of electrical apparatus, such as a rotary switch panel 22, Fig. 7, having contact buttons 23 thereon and a plurality of lug-mounting holes 24 preferably situated close to a marginal edge of the panel.

The desired number of lugs are secured to said panel 2,7 18,62 7 Patented Sept. 21), 1955 2 as at 25, Fig. 7 or 8, by means of rivets 26 engaged in In holes 12 and'panel holes 24; and the conductors 20A are soldered to desired contacts 23. i I In addition, cable conductors 20 are soldered to other terminals, as at 30, for connection of the various control buttons 23 in'sorne desired circuit, e. g. to power supply 32.

In prior devices of this class, it has long been the accepted practice to mount some kind of a soldering terminal on the apparatus panel, as by crimping or-riveting operations, and thereafter to solder the necessary conductors thereto in wiring up the apparatus. Frequently, too, the connection conductors, such as 20A, were previously soldered to the old style terminals before the-latter were riveted or crimped onto the panels 22.

The improved terminal lug contemplates mass production of prepared terminal lugs by locking-in the-conductor parts 20 before attachment of the lugs to the apparatus, thereby eliminating at least one soldering operation for the wiring crews.

The locking-in connection of the lug part, as when wings 15 and 16 are pressed together to seize the conductor, may be performed at any time by use of a pair of pliers.

In cases where all soldering on the terminal-lug is to be omitted, the modification of Fig. 6 is used, wherein the lug structure 15--161718 is duplicated on the plate 11, as at 15A-16A-17A18A.

Electrical connections can be quickly and effectively made without soldering, using either the single-ended form of Fig. 3, or the double-ended form of Fig. 6. No soldering equipment, special tools or skilled talent is required in making such connections, and the device is useful to the same purposes whether the lugs are to be prepared in advance with certain conductors attached (e. g. 20), or whether such connections are to be made after the terminal lugs are attached to the apparatus, e. g. panel 22.

There is little wasted stock in the forming operation, and the manufacturing costs are low and only simple dies are required.

It should be observed in Fig. 3 that the converged wings 15-16, by reason of joinder to the fiat or plate portion 11 by the tapered and narrowed part 13, form a solderreceiving cavity as at 19X, which is somewhat scoopshaped and open-ended to lead and flow solder freely into the channel and seized conductor. For such purposes the narrowed neck 13 tapers at some suitable angle, say about 45", into conjunction with the wings 15, 16, so that the narrowed part will be wider than the formed-up channel to form the scoop-like solder entrance at 19X.

I claim:

1. A combination lug and terminal comprising a mounting plate portion, a terminal projecting from said plate portion on one side thereof, and a lug consisting of two opposite wings projecting from another side of said plate, said wings being upset to define an elongated conductor-receiving channel, and one said wing having a boss opposite a slot in the other wing, said wings being pressed together along lines extending in the direction of the length of said plate to seize a conductor in said channel, said slot being of a width to admit a substantial portion of said conductor crimped into said slot by said boss, whereby to lock said conductor in said lug.

2. A soldering terminal and conductor lug comprising a centrol body portion from one side of which projects a tail to which a soldered connection may be made, and from the opposite side of which projects a lug portion consisting of opposite wings upset to form a channel in one side-forming wing of which is a slot and in the other side wing of which is a protrusion opposite said slot and dimensioned to fit into the slot, said wings being forced together in assembled relation with a conductor in said channel and said'protru'sion forcing conductor portions into said slot to lock the conductor in the channel.

3- In a onn e o lug, an elongated ody h in waducto -sei ins ans n t f o a p of pp tely situated laterally-projecting wings on the lug bent toward each other to define a longitudinally-extensive condnetor-receivil Channel, one wing having an extruded projection directed into the channel, and the other wing having an opening opposite said projection and larger than the latter, said wings being forcibly converged by laterai displacement upon a conductor in said channel t0 the same, said projeetion forcing portionsfof the oad eter into aid pe'n ng- A ter nal g n he o of an e ed P e e f metal, having a central mounting portion pierced to reeive an. attach ng Pin, nd a wid i section j n thereto by a narrowed connecting section, which tapers outwardly to said wide wing section, said wing section having a lateral slot cut into an edge thereof, with a laterally e rtenive boss struck up from the opposite edge in lateral alignment with said slot, said wing section having said edge portions turned up to form a longitudinallye gtensive eonductor-receiving channel having said slot in one side thereof and said boss in the opposite side thereof, said opposite sides being pressed toward each other upon a conductor therebetwee n to seize the conductor said boss deforming the conductor to force a portion of the same into said sl t-v a ;5. A terminal lug according to claim 4 and in whicha second wing section identical to said first-mentioned wing seetion is provided on the opposite side of said central mounting portion to seize a second conductor.

, 6 A terminal lug according to claim 4 in which there is additionally provided a pierced soldering tail formed integrally with said central mounting portion.

metal having near one end thereof a transverse 7. A terminal lug comprising an elongated piece of metal having at one end and respectively disposed on opposide sides of the long axis thereof, a lateral slot opening into the adjoining edge and a lateral rib aligned with the slot, said opposite sides being turned up toward each other as opposite wings to form a lug with a wire channel extending in the direction of said axis, said wings being closable upon a wire in said channel to seize the wire, said rib forcing portions of the wire into said slot to lock the wire, portions of said metal piece adjoining said wings affording a soldering terminal.

8. A terminal lug in the form of a narrow strip of notch extending from one edge portion of the strip crosswise and substantially to the central part thereof, said strip also having a transverse embossment running from the opposite edge portion toward said slot and defining a raised rounded rib of approximately the. same width and length as said slot and in transverse alignment with the latter, said edges of the strip being bent up to define a wirereceiving channel with opposite side walls respectively containing said 'slot and rib in juxtaposition to seize a wire in said channel when said sides are forced together, said rib deforming said wire to force and lock portions of same in said slot.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

